CYPRESS, Calif. - March 4, 2008 -- Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. continues to increase its support of the ATV racing communities with an expanded race team and support program for 2008. In a major showing of this support, Team Yamaha will debut a new ATV racing support semi at round one of the ATVA MX Series at Glen Helen, California, March 8-9.
The new race semi will be a major part of Yamaha's weekend full of activities to support its race team and welcome fans back for the new season. Hands-on opportunities for fans include product demonstration rides on Raptor 250 sport ATVs, Grizzly 700 FI ATVs with electric power steering and Rhino 700 FI Side-by-Side vehicles. Yamaha will also pick someone out of the crowd to be the lucky winner of a new Raptor 250 - the most exciting new sport ATV on the market.
Yamaha's ATV race-related support programs complement its expanding race team which now includes Pro-Am rider Thomas Brown. The complete Yamaha ATV race team includes record setting eight-time GNCC Champion Bill Ballance, record setting six-time GNCC Champion Traci Cecco, 2007 AMA ATV Open Champion Pat Brown, 2007 GNCC XC2 Class Championship Brandon Sommers, Yamaha/ITP QuadCross Champion Dustin Nelson and Pro-Am rider Thomas Brown. Paul Turner is back for 2008 as the team's head mechanic.
"From MX tracks to GNCC trails, 2007 was a phenomenal year for the YFZ450 and Yamaha's ATV race team, and we are looking forward to another successful season in 2008," said Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV/SxS marketing manager. "The new Team Yamaha support semi is the latest step in the evolution of our championship race program. Yamaha was the first to market with a race-ready production 450cc ATV, and we will continue to support the racing community by sponsoring top riders to compete aboard the championship-winning YFZ."
In other team news, Bill Ballance and Traci Cecco both had successful starts to the GNCC season both earning podium finishes in the initial race of the 13-round series which kicked off March 2 in Melbourne, Florida.
About Yamaha:
Yamaha ATVs and SxS vehicles are designed, engineered and built tough! Yamaha Motor Corp., USA headquarters are located in Cypress, California. For more information on Yamaha, visit www.yamaha-motor.com.